So it has been a while since I last posted; of late I must confess we have been busy doing the things which God has called us to do here in the Dominican Republic. Since February Laura and I have now completed more than five weeks of teams. At times the Mission House was at capacity of 15 people or near there; each team receiving top notch accommodations and meals each day. We feel totally blessed having come this far on our Dominican journey to see the fulfillment of this dream.
God is good, let me tell you. With more teams to come in the year ahead and even bookings into 2015 we see the blessings at hand God has given us. I also know that our work here in the D.R. will have other aspects of Ministry to come.
There is still a burden laid on my heart for the lack of peace many people have in their lives for one reason or another. I feel a genuine compassion towards the issues of life people around us have to endure. As we continue to grow and learn here in the D.R. I find that God has placed opportunity at hand, people we never expected come to us almost daily with the burdens of life. Invariably we see a similarity with their problems and our trials we have already walked through. The counseling becomes evident. Most are unsaved, our new community of neighbors and friends, although our new Christian family on the island also presents opportunity to show how we walk with the Lord. Very simply and without a lot of effort, through our living and loving of the Lord, those around us see God through us. Whenever they come, whatever they say, we can only direct them to our choices made with God in mind. Incredibly, many of them come with questions, or they dump their burdens out in front of us seeking answers. Other times we are just an ear that listens or a shoulder to lean on. What I find interesting is that we don't seek out these people. When we meet new folks, I sense that they are seeking, no not necessarily seeking Mike and Laura...they have no idea what they are seeking. I know they have questions, burdens, griefs and trials and so do they, but they also have within them a desire to be free from these burdens and problems. God built us this way, to seek Him, to trust His ways; and when we follow Him, He carries us through the trials and onto calmer waters. The trouble is this though, even if you are a Christian and believe, we do not necessarily take all of our burdens to Him for help. We try and solve them in our own way, with our strength, with our perceived solutions. Ironically when our problems don't get solved we then turn and blame God for not being there in our lives. I've seen this with people in my own life, I am sure you also know others who do the same, maybe even you. We must continue to strive to build our relationship with Him daily so that we can then become more proficient at working through the trials, with His help! I know this sounds trite or even impossible in many situations, but the truth is many times we get ourselves into messes or trials by the things we have done without God! Our decisions lead us into trouble more often than not, especially when we make those decisions without God! Can you see the point? If you don't know Him, you are constantly falling into trial with one thing or another! Don't get me wrong here; I love life and living it, and I don't always make the right decisions, but this is a truth: when I make decisions with God's will in mind, peace always reigns in my life. That does not mean I do not have trial through those decisions, but I do have the peace of God that carries me through it! When I choose against His will, trial endures, conflict ensues. If each of us is really honest with what is going on in our lives whether we know the Lord or not, we still know the difference between right and wrong. We know which way we should go...and we know which way we should not. What happens after is always a result of the choices we made, good or bad. We have no business blaming God for the mess we find ourselves in after we do what we do! You can pick any example from life here; simply insert the choice into the formula and look at the result you created. God gets far too much blame for our trials and too little credit for our blessings. When things go wrong we blame Him, when things go right, we praise ourselves. How hypocritical are we?
Everyone of us is on a journey through life; if you know God then your journey should involve more of Him; if you don't know God, well then your journey is very much a roll of the dice isn't it? I want to make the point here because I see too many walking into walls time and time again fighting the same battles again and again when the answer is staring them in the face. I realize that it takes time to understand our walk with the Lord each day and that we must be mindful of where others are in their walk as well; no two of us are in the same place as the other with the Lord. I don't have all the answers, nor am I expected to, but I do know this: every time I lean on God, for my life, for my direction, for my choices, He always blesses me with the results. When I lean on my own authority, there is always some kind of mess that comes out of it; today I can say I have fewer and fewer messes.
Ultimately each of us has the choice to make, Follow Him?, or Follow Me?
As for Mike, he will never go back to the world and seek advice: The world is lost folks, the world has no answers. If you see the same thing I do then you can only come to one solution....choose God.
Don't be afraid...you know He's right
Just choose.
Have Faith, get to know Him and He will show you a better way.
I believe it does not matter what you do, if you look to God before every step, you will see greater purpose for your life. You will see God's will for yourself. You will see your life impacting the lives of others. That is purpose.
That is truth.
That my friends is why we are alive.
Blessings
Saturday, April 5, 2014
Friday, January 10, 2014
Rio Vista Still Growing!
Monthly newsletter
January 10, 2014
Wow!
I can hardly believe it is 2014 already!
I mean, did you think that 2013 went as fast as I did? You know what they say,”Time flies when your
havin' fun!”
Or is it the other saying, “The
year’s go by faster when you get older!”
Perspective;
Personally I think it’s
a little of both! No matter, we’re still
here and still moving ahead, one step at a time!
Praise report for the first week of
January, as I reported on our Facebook site for Rio Vista Guest House, we have
confirmed 8 team bookings already for the new year; 6 of them before we get to
May!
The jig is up folks, people are
starting to figure out where they want to put their teams…I love it when a plan
comes together!
We have to give all the credit to God
with the past year and all that will come.
While the road has been bumpy He has always been there for us as we
continued to forge ahead.
As we continue to take bookings for
this year we are ever mindful of the imminent expansion of the facility. Rio Vista was always planned as a 2 stage
project; the 1st stage complete with the ground floor, six rooms and
pool, as well as all the infrastructure for the 2nd and 3rd
levels.
That said we are beginning the
campaign this year to continue the build on the facility. The first additional project needing
completion will be the outdoor commercial kitchen and dining hall; this will
give Rio Vista the capacity required to feed over 50 for each meal. Moreover, once the dining hall is complete we
can move forward on the next 2 levels.
Demand for the facility is already in place as many Mission Organizations have already requested to stay with
us. Praise God we need to build as
the house is already too small! Our current capacity is maxed at 15-16 people
and we have turned teams away as large as 40.
As we enter into the New Year with
our supporters we hope that you would prayerful consider a gift to support this
Mission. All the teams that come to stay
at Rio Vista are working with many other Ministries that have already based
themselves on the North Coast of the D.R.
We are right in the middle of a very large Mission Field and we feel
supremely blessed to be able to serve His people in this way.
This is the current state of the commercial kitchen; Still needs a floor, roof and power to be applied, all the rough build is finished. Budget for completion: $5000
This is the view from the pool-side: a covered dining hall needs to be constructed beside the Kitchen area. Seating is available for 50 when the thatched-roof dining room is finished. This hall frames the pool area and garden! Budget to finish this project: $5,000.
All construction donations are tax-deductible through our associate partner in Canada, Bridges of Hope International Network of Development Agencies Inc.
Blessings
Mike and Laura Boisclair
Sosua, D.R.
849-855-5609
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Patience...
I've known for a long time now, since right around the time I was saved and began to know the Lord and who He is in my life that I would have to write about this topic one day. I have continually prayed to God for the ability to understand His patient nature, His enduring capacity for tolerance with this people He created...created for a purpose. Through the years, and let's keep this in perspective...I'm far from there yet....I've been seeking what God says about patience in the Bible. Invariably and depending on the translation we see the word 59 times in the New Testament. Patience is not used directly in the Old Testament but translations from the Hebrew bring various synonyms of the word; different words are used which show a similar context in the translation, "hupomone and makrothumia translate as suffering or waiting as a determination of the will and not simply under necessity. They also mean endurance and continuance or even steadfastness, even long suffering.
Sometimes it is difficult to understand why we must endure or have patience with anything that seems to try us, but Paul confirms that we must as he even calls God in Romans 15:5 "...the God of patience and consolation..."
He calls us in this manner to be patient, and like-minded with each other in Christ Jesus so that with one voice and one accord we glorify God the Father of our Lord Jesus.
This means we are to be like God and "have patience" with each other, as He is patient with us to grant us mercy and then grace as we take on the Christ-like nature of our Lord. Then we understand how in His infinite patience once we see Jesus for who He is and what He sacrificed by the will of the Father, it is then through Jesus, who can sympathize with our trials and temptations that we can approach God. "Let us therefore draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace to help us in time of need." Heb 4:16.
You see, there need be no fear of God and the conviction that you feel for the sin you have committed. Of course we must repent of our wrongdoing as our conviction compels us. Then we should see the results in our lives as we are renewing our souls or our "psuche" which is the Greek word used here meaning our mind, will and emotions.
It is our soul, our mind, will and emotions that requires a changing or renewing in order to bring about the desired purpose God has for each of our lives.
Jesus spoke very clearly when he said "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword." Matt 10:34. The sword of course is the Word of God, the Word of course is the Son, Jesus Christ. "For the Word of God is living and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Heb 4:12.
All of this ties together neatly into the Bible that we understand as Truth, patience therefore becoming a root fundamental process in each of our lives. Patience in allowing our minds and therefore our souls to become renewed with the Word of God. Patience to have the continuance of steadfastness of our Christ-like love and governance in our lives. That through the continual application of trust and endurance through our trials we can be assured we will have the victory in our lives. This will ultimately show us the purpose for each of our lives.
We must strive to take hold of our minds, our souls, and allow the Word which has been in-grafted into our hearts given to us by God, "Therefore put away all filthiness and extreme wickedness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls." James 1:21.
It is through this patience, this enduring and our trust in knowing we are moving from faith to faith, using that control of patience in our lives.
"By your Patience, possess your souls." Luke 21:19.
Patience people...its a journey this life in Christ. Ultimately a destination, but then we're talking about heaven now...and that's a whole new blog!
Blessings
Mike
Sometimes it is difficult to understand why we must endure or have patience with anything that seems to try us, but Paul confirms that we must as he even calls God in Romans 15:5 "...the God of patience and consolation..."
He calls us in this manner to be patient, and like-minded with each other in Christ Jesus so that with one voice and one accord we glorify God the Father of our Lord Jesus.
This means we are to be like God and "have patience" with each other, as He is patient with us to grant us mercy and then grace as we take on the Christ-like nature of our Lord. Then we understand how in His infinite patience once we see Jesus for who He is and what He sacrificed by the will of the Father, it is then through Jesus, who can sympathize with our trials and temptations that we can approach God. "Let us therefore draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace to help us in time of need." Heb 4:16.
You see, there need be no fear of God and the conviction that you feel for the sin you have committed. Of course we must repent of our wrongdoing as our conviction compels us. Then we should see the results in our lives as we are renewing our souls or our "psuche" which is the Greek word used here meaning our mind, will and emotions.
It is our soul, our mind, will and emotions that requires a changing or renewing in order to bring about the desired purpose God has for each of our lives.
Jesus spoke very clearly when he said "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword." Matt 10:34. The sword of course is the Word of God, the Word of course is the Son, Jesus Christ. "For the Word of God is living and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Heb 4:12.
All of this ties together neatly into the Bible that we understand as Truth, patience therefore becoming a root fundamental process in each of our lives. Patience in allowing our minds and therefore our souls to become renewed with the Word of God. Patience to have the continuance of steadfastness of our Christ-like love and governance in our lives. That through the continual application of trust and endurance through our trials we can be assured we will have the victory in our lives. This will ultimately show us the purpose for each of our lives.
We must strive to take hold of our minds, our souls, and allow the Word which has been in-grafted into our hearts given to us by God, "Therefore put away all filthiness and extreme wickedness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls." James 1:21.
It is through this patience, this enduring and our trust in knowing we are moving from faith to faith, using that control of patience in our lives.
"By your Patience, possess your souls." Luke 21:19.
Patience people...its a journey this life in Christ. Ultimately a destination, but then we're talking about heaven now...and that's a whole new blog!
Blessings
Mike
Monday, November 11, 2013
The Real God Market (7)
This time of year always seems to be a period of musing for me as we draw closer to the Season of Joy, I mean that is Christmas. Recently there has been a lot of hype in the media about how we should respect other groups on our celebratory methods of this important season. We need to be mindful (in their opinion) that the Word Christmas is offensive to many of these minority groups that have established their own cultures within our communities. Now I've never been one to stand on my soapbox and shout back at the world, (not too much) but there has been a quiet revolution overtaking all of our foundational societies in the past 150 years or so and as North Americans and Canadians, we have allowed it to happen. Both of our countries Canada and the US of A were founded on solid Christian biblical principles. Formed out of the blood and ashes of our forefathers as they stood against oppression and gave us the freedom we all now enjoy.
I say this, what a bunch of hypocrites we have become to bow down to these crying minorities and impale our foundational ideals on this spike we have planted in the ground. Slowly but surely we have rolled over and fallen out of the bed to allow one group after another establish a place of rest on our pillows.
While I'm all for community and open relationship for refugees and war torn nations needing assistance from our governments, I do not agree with this sacrifice Christians have unwillingly placed upon the fire in our own cities that God has built for all of us. And while you may not agree entirely with how you came to be or why, if you sit down and look at your own roots of your very existence, I am absolutely positive you will find a fore-father or mother who followed foundational Christian principles in their lives.
Christmas has always been about the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. At least until recent years. Now the focus seems to be on consumerism rather than God. The world has created a new god around this time of year and most of us Christians are as guilty as the next guy when it comes to failing badly at Christmas. It is incredible to me how many people are dragged into this new belief that you have to "gift" your way into developing your children. Don't get me wrong, I am not a grinch! I love the Christmas season, for what it is! Not for what it has become!
Here are some consumer stats that just might blow your mind: Many of you know about the annual shopping phenomenon that occurs each year after the American Thanksgiving day, commonly known as "Black Friday" Well the one day sale has now become almost a month-long frenzy of consumerism which runs not until Christmas day but fully a week past!
In the US alone 2011 spending topped out at just over 52 billion dollars for the four day weekend beginning on Nov 25 Thursday through to Sunday. Over 50% of that spending was on credit card! The people never even had the money to buy these "Sale" items! Last year for 2012 the sales topped out for the same weekend at just under $60 billion, an incredible 13% increase in spending, again more than half of the purchases on credit card! The stats are even more astounding for the next month moving right through Christmas and into the new year...all in the name of Christmas!
What is wrong with this picture?
Is it wrong to want to buy a gift for your child at this special time of year? Have we changed our focus on what we are doing at this time of year? Have we replaced our "Reason for the Season" with another?
Some of you are probably thinking "What business is it of yours that you can tell me what to spend my money on at Christmas"? or even "Who do you think you are, that I should listen to you?"
Frankly I pray you do give at this time of year, for it is written, "In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" Acts 20:35 ESV. But look at the context here, give to the weak! We have replaced our giving to the weak with giving to ourselves, even when we don't need it!
Hear me out and please don't kill the messenger, for I am sure all of us from time to time feel exactly the same way I do about this frantic time of year that this Season of Christmas is becoming. We all sit and watch the same news broadcasts each year of the massive crowds of consumers who end up fighting each other for this gift or that gift in a dog-eat-dog event at the local Wal-Mart. Shaking our heads at the absolute stupidity of these people, some of whom have actually died during these events during "Black Friday" sales! Have we gone mad as a society!
This is not the "Reason for the Season" and my plea is very simple.
If you still believe in a Truth, a very real "Reason for the Season" then embrace that Truth before you join the world in this lie again this year. For each year that we give in to this new doctrine of consumerism we surely replace our former belief of the Truth for our lives.
" I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well." Psalm 139:14 NASB
We are humanity, we are not depraved animals that kill each other over a bone...or are we?
My prayer is that we all remember this when someone says to us "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas".
I for one will reply "Bless you and Merry Christmas!"
In love
Michael
I say this, what a bunch of hypocrites we have become to bow down to these crying minorities and impale our foundational ideals on this spike we have planted in the ground. Slowly but surely we have rolled over and fallen out of the bed to allow one group after another establish a place of rest on our pillows.
While I'm all for community and open relationship for refugees and war torn nations needing assistance from our governments, I do not agree with this sacrifice Christians have unwillingly placed upon the fire in our own cities that God has built for all of us. And while you may not agree entirely with how you came to be or why, if you sit down and look at your own roots of your very existence, I am absolutely positive you will find a fore-father or mother who followed foundational Christian principles in their lives.
Christmas has always been about the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. At least until recent years. Now the focus seems to be on consumerism rather than God. The world has created a new god around this time of year and most of us Christians are as guilty as the next guy when it comes to failing badly at Christmas. It is incredible to me how many people are dragged into this new belief that you have to "gift" your way into developing your children. Don't get me wrong, I am not a grinch! I love the Christmas season, for what it is! Not for what it has become!
Here are some consumer stats that just might blow your mind: Many of you know about the annual shopping phenomenon that occurs each year after the American Thanksgiving day, commonly known as "Black Friday" Well the one day sale has now become almost a month-long frenzy of consumerism which runs not until Christmas day but fully a week past!
In the US alone 2011 spending topped out at just over 52 billion dollars for the four day weekend beginning on Nov 25 Thursday through to Sunday. Over 50% of that spending was on credit card! The people never even had the money to buy these "Sale" items! Last year for 2012 the sales topped out for the same weekend at just under $60 billion, an incredible 13% increase in spending, again more than half of the purchases on credit card! The stats are even more astounding for the next month moving right through Christmas and into the new year...all in the name of Christmas!
What is wrong with this picture?
Is it wrong to want to buy a gift for your child at this special time of year? Have we changed our focus on what we are doing at this time of year? Have we replaced our "Reason for the Season" with another?
Some of you are probably thinking "What business is it of yours that you can tell me what to spend my money on at Christmas"? or even "Who do you think you are, that I should listen to you?"
Frankly I pray you do give at this time of year, for it is written, "In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" Acts 20:35 ESV. But look at the context here, give to the weak! We have replaced our giving to the weak with giving to ourselves, even when we don't need it!
Hear me out and please don't kill the messenger, for I am sure all of us from time to time feel exactly the same way I do about this frantic time of year that this Season of Christmas is becoming. We all sit and watch the same news broadcasts each year of the massive crowds of consumers who end up fighting each other for this gift or that gift in a dog-eat-dog event at the local Wal-Mart. Shaking our heads at the absolute stupidity of these people, some of whom have actually died during these events during "Black Friday" sales! Have we gone mad as a society!
This is not the "Reason for the Season" and my plea is very simple.
If you still believe in a Truth, a very real "Reason for the Season" then embrace that Truth before you join the world in this lie again this year. For each year that we give in to this new doctrine of consumerism we surely replace our former belief of the Truth for our lives.
" I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well." Psalm 139:14 NASB
We are humanity, we are not depraved animals that kill each other over a bone...or are we?
My prayer is that we all remember this when someone says to us "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas".
I for one will reply "Bless you and Merry Christmas!"
In love
Michael
Monday, September 30, 2013
Manifest Power, Manifest Glory
The past few weeks this summer has found our area of the North Coast enduring some of the most intense storms never before seen by anyone. Many of the locals are shocked and astounded when these severe storms pass over, dropping what seems like an endless deluge of rain amidst the incessant and very close lightning. Many areas report lightning strikes which result in tremendous damage to rooftops, trees and a large amount of electrical equipment. I have heard of many who have had blown up televisions, modems, computers, radios, light bulbs, inversors, and so-on. During the last storm two nights ago, we watched and listened for more than two hours as the storm raged and slowly passed over the sea. We were fortunate as we unplugged almost all of our electrical devices in case a strike came near or a surge worked through into the house; it did not. After it all we all wandered out into the yard to survey the results, a new lake had formed beside the house and pool area which frames the right of our property. The lake was slowly draining through a new creek along the property. This drained down into a larger lake on the property next to us. Our swimming pool gained almost six inches of rainwater in just about two hours.
This is where my mind begins to turn and whirl with the questions most of us take for granted. So I started to do some research on storms, thunderstorms in particular. Some startling facts:
An average storm covers an area of about 15 square miles, some are larger of course. Each storm contains on average about 275 million gallons of water. In one inch of rain falling on one square mile of land, there is 17.5 million gallons of water. This is equal to the weight of a locomotive whith 40 loaded boxcars.
So lets do some math! (they told me there would be no math...)
The NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmosheric Administration) reports that at any given time there can be over 40,000 storms occurring over the earth each day. Every day.
This means that just in storms there is approximately 11 x 10^12.million gallons of water floating around the globe trapped inside these storm formations. We know that a gallon of water weighs 10 lbs, in the US it only weighs 8.3 lbs. We will use the Imperial standard here so the math is easier.
Then we can assume there is approximately 1.1 x 10^14 million lbs of water in these storms each day.
Lets show this longhand: 110,000,000,000,000 million lbs of water. Or 110 Trillion lbs of water floating in the air and then coming down each and every day of the year! I hope somebody checks my math!
Put your head around that for just a minute, This is only the amount of water that we can see in the storms! Floating with seemingly little effort across our skies as we go about our busy little lives.
I would like you all to put this question to yourselves: Who can do all this everyday, and not break a sweat?
There is only one. He does all of this each day for you...take heed to His Manifest Power, His Manifest Glory. There is none other. He is God.
Marvel in awe at His Manifest Presence, for He exists in all that is created.
None of this in your world is an accident, all was caused to be, created for a purpose.
If you believe anything else then you believe a lie, a deception if you will. Just do the math people, it is really very easy...
Mike
This is where my mind begins to turn and whirl with the questions most of us take for granted. So I started to do some research on storms, thunderstorms in particular. Some startling facts:
An average storm covers an area of about 15 square miles, some are larger of course. Each storm contains on average about 275 million gallons of water. In one inch of rain falling on one square mile of land, there is 17.5 million gallons of water. This is equal to the weight of a locomotive whith 40 loaded boxcars.
So lets do some math! (they told me there would be no math...)
The NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmosheric Administration) reports that at any given time there can be over 40,000 storms occurring over the earth each day. Every day.
This means that just in storms there is approximately 11 x 10^12.million gallons of water floating around the globe trapped inside these storm formations. We know that a gallon of water weighs 10 lbs, in the US it only weighs 8.3 lbs. We will use the Imperial standard here so the math is easier.
Then we can assume there is approximately 1.1 x 10^14 million lbs of water in these storms each day.
Lets show this longhand: 110,000,000,000,000 million lbs of water. Or 110 Trillion lbs of water floating in the air and then coming down each and every day of the year! I hope somebody checks my math!
Put your head around that for just a minute, This is only the amount of water that we can see in the storms! Floating with seemingly little effort across our skies as we go about our busy little lives.
I would like you all to put this question to yourselves: Who can do all this everyday, and not break a sweat?
There is only one. He does all of this each day for you...take heed to His Manifest Power, His Manifest Glory. There is none other. He is God.
Marvel in awe at His Manifest Presence, for He exists in all that is created.
None of this in your world is an accident, all was caused to be, created for a purpose.
If you believe anything else then you believe a lie, a deception if you will. Just do the math people, it is really very easy...
Mike
Saturday, September 21, 2013
Where did I put those Goggles?
Just got back from the hospital a while ago: had to have a metal fragment removed from my cornea after I accidentally installed it there while cutting steel. All kidding aside, the pain was tremendous and it was all I could do to keep from punching the doctor while she worked on my poor eye. All of this ordeal of course got me thinking: how could a little piece of metal, (I mean you could hardly see it, barely a spec embedded in the cornea of my eye, just above the pupil), cause so much pain to a grown man?
Well that's the irony of the whole thing isn't it? The pain for me was a strong reminder of just what it is that I have and what it is I am supposed to do. Life...and Life more abundant!
Yes I know not much of a revelation but hear me out for just a minute. I want to give you a rationale for this small ordeal I am enduring right now and why. The most obvious message within all of this of course is"Where are his safety goggles...dummie?" Well, like every man I will tell you "I don't need them, I'm tough! Just dig out the spec so I can get back to work!"
But then, that's just my pride getting in the way of the truth.
Aah, that's the ticket. Pride got in the way. Or did it? It is possible that I simply forgot to put on the safety goggles that I knew where in my toolbox. Or could it be that I chose not to put them on instead? Opting out for the faster route, skipping the all important step of protecting my eyes and moving right on to the business at hand; cutting steel, regardless of the outcome or damage during the course of.
I hope some of you see where I am going with this: the extra result was not what I expected. Oh sure, I got the steel cut for the project I was working on, but ended up with some unintended consequences as well!
Seems like life is full of that isn't it? I mean speaking of course about my life, not yours. Choosing to do what I know is right with anything always gets me the result I am looking for. The outcome invariably changes a bit whenever I shortcut the method of operation somehow. I might get the results I am looking for even if I do shortcut the process, but I always have extra results as well, most times unwelcome results!
My eye is just a tiny example of what can go wrong when you do not do things right. The pain, as intense as it is, is only a small reminder of the pain that can be inflicted on a life when wrong decisions are made.
So what am I trying to rationalize here? Could it be that I am faced daily with many decisions that God allows me to make because He has given me the gift of choice? Or is it more likely that I am only choosing based on my moral foundation, that given me from my family, my raising, my heritage, my common sense?
Aah, the philosophy of it all!
Two camps available to each and every one of us: Choose to live for God.
Choose to live for me.
In a nutshell, is this what it comes down to, me or God?
Well, frankly...yes. When I choose to live for me, there are always results from the decisions that I have to make each day that I may not necessarily expect; or want! Just think about it for a second. When you have made decisions that only build your little kingdom, your life, have there been people hurt by your decisions? Is there collateral damage for your selfish choices? Building the kingdom of me is selfish, greedy and has little to no concern for others. Unless of course you have something I want, then I might pay attention to you a little more! Most of us live our lives in the kingdom of me, creating tiny kingdom bubbles around us that we control; we decide who we talk too, associate with, give assistance too. Take a look at your own life right now, are you living comfortably in your created little kingdom? Is your routine so familiar that you need not think about anything going on in the world? When things happen in the world, are they so far removed from your senses that you respond with abject boredom or even disbelief? What focuses your attention? Is it the newest iphone just come out on the market? Or is it the newest year of that Toyota Tundra that just won truck of the year again? Is your kingdom growing from within, with physical stuff that you "need"?
Don't get me wrong, I know we need to live with things in order to make life easier, after-all man-kind is very inventive, having developed technology to a level never before seen! But what turns your head in your life? Are you focused on the stuff more than others?
When I choose to live for God, and live by His guiding statutes, then my decisions always result without unintended consequence. When my decisions fall in line with the Word of God, I hurt no-one. Invariably I am living my life in service of others building up the Kingdom of God and not mine: doing good, sharing my gifts, teaching and leading others to do the same. The Word gives me life, and life more abundant! Ironically, when I choose to live for God, He blesses me with more than I could have imagined!
The fact is, life is hard...and I put it to you this way.
I would rather have a life without unintended consequences. Don't get me wrong, I still make the wrong decisions some time, a lot of the time. But I believe I am on the right track, each day the Lord shows up with a blessing for me, an opportunity to make the right decision and build His Kingdom through the work He has given us to do. I hope and pray you make similar choices in each of your lives, choices without unintended consequences.
Now where did I put those goggles?
Blessings
Mike
Well that's the irony of the whole thing isn't it? The pain for me was a strong reminder of just what it is that I have and what it is I am supposed to do. Life...and Life more abundant!
Yes I know not much of a revelation but hear me out for just a minute. I want to give you a rationale for this small ordeal I am enduring right now and why. The most obvious message within all of this of course is"Where are his safety goggles...dummie?" Well, like every man I will tell you "I don't need them, I'm tough! Just dig out the spec so I can get back to work!"
But then, that's just my pride getting in the way of the truth.
Aah, that's the ticket. Pride got in the way. Or did it? It is possible that I simply forgot to put on the safety goggles that I knew where in my toolbox. Or could it be that I chose not to put them on instead? Opting out for the faster route, skipping the all important step of protecting my eyes and moving right on to the business at hand; cutting steel, regardless of the outcome or damage during the course of.
I hope some of you see where I am going with this: the extra result was not what I expected. Oh sure, I got the steel cut for the project I was working on, but ended up with some unintended consequences as well!
Seems like life is full of that isn't it? I mean speaking of course about my life, not yours. Choosing to do what I know is right with anything always gets me the result I am looking for. The outcome invariably changes a bit whenever I shortcut the method of operation somehow. I might get the results I am looking for even if I do shortcut the process, but I always have extra results as well, most times unwelcome results!
My eye is just a tiny example of what can go wrong when you do not do things right. The pain, as intense as it is, is only a small reminder of the pain that can be inflicted on a life when wrong decisions are made.
So what am I trying to rationalize here? Could it be that I am faced daily with many decisions that God allows me to make because He has given me the gift of choice? Or is it more likely that I am only choosing based on my moral foundation, that given me from my family, my raising, my heritage, my common sense?
Aah, the philosophy of it all!
Two camps available to each and every one of us: Choose to live for God.
Choose to live for me.
In a nutshell, is this what it comes down to, me or God?
Well, frankly...yes. When I choose to live for me, there are always results from the decisions that I have to make each day that I may not necessarily expect; or want! Just think about it for a second. When you have made decisions that only build your little kingdom, your life, have there been people hurt by your decisions? Is there collateral damage for your selfish choices? Building the kingdom of me is selfish, greedy and has little to no concern for others. Unless of course you have something I want, then I might pay attention to you a little more! Most of us live our lives in the kingdom of me, creating tiny kingdom bubbles around us that we control; we decide who we talk too, associate with, give assistance too. Take a look at your own life right now, are you living comfortably in your created little kingdom? Is your routine so familiar that you need not think about anything going on in the world? When things happen in the world, are they so far removed from your senses that you respond with abject boredom or even disbelief? What focuses your attention? Is it the newest iphone just come out on the market? Or is it the newest year of that Toyota Tundra that just won truck of the year again? Is your kingdom growing from within, with physical stuff that you "need"?
Don't get me wrong, I know we need to live with things in order to make life easier, after-all man-kind is very inventive, having developed technology to a level never before seen! But what turns your head in your life? Are you focused on the stuff more than others?
When I choose to live for God, and live by His guiding statutes, then my decisions always result without unintended consequence. When my decisions fall in line with the Word of God, I hurt no-one. Invariably I am living my life in service of others building up the Kingdom of God and not mine: doing good, sharing my gifts, teaching and leading others to do the same. The Word gives me life, and life more abundant! Ironically, when I choose to live for God, He blesses me with more than I could have imagined!
The fact is, life is hard...and I put it to you this way.
I would rather have a life without unintended consequences. Don't get me wrong, I still make the wrong decisions some time, a lot of the time. But I believe I am on the right track, each day the Lord shows up with a blessing for me, an opportunity to make the right decision and build His Kingdom through the work He has given us to do. I hope and pray you make similar choices in each of your lives, choices without unintended consequences.
Now where did I put those goggles?
Blessings
Mike
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Here We Grow Again!
Greetings again from the D.R. and blessings to all of you from Mike and Laura. With the activities of summer winding down at Rio Vista Guest House, we find ourselves with a little bit of time on our hands. As most of you know when you have a little time it can be lost as quickly as we found it, so we must make the best of spare moments when we can.
Our goals here in the D.R. are simple; to be of service in God's Kingdom in what ever capacity we find our talents lie. In some cases we apparently have little or no talent for some things, but we push forward with a willing heart and an open mind. Invariably God always brings someone else along to assist us if we find ourselves in over our heads.
So we have decided to place effort into our available time and move forward with a new project we are excited about! This project will not take us away from our work at the Guest House in fact it will surely enhance the environment and experience for all the Mission teams who use the facility.
Some time ago Laura and I were approached by fellow missionaries from our new church here in Sosua, asking us if we could be involved in a "pilot project" with them. They needed a piece of land to develop an idea (which we have) and they in turn would assist in support for the project with design and materials. Suffice to say that when we discovered they wished to start a pilot project which could produce fruit and vegetables in a sustenance program for remote villages near us, we were very interested.
Now this is still a hotly debated subject within the Mission World, however research has proven beyond a doubt that if you provide the means for a man to help feed his family instead of simply giving him a handout for the rest of his life, he will most likely become more self-sufficient and live better. The handout of food simply creates a dependent society, that will ultimately sink them further into poverty. Of course, there must be several conditions for this "pilot project" to be successful going forward, especially in a village where resources are hard to come by.
First let me explain the concept for the "pilot project". The concept here is to provide a system from which a man can operate with minimal supervision that will grow his vegetables and fruits faster and bigger than he could before; if he could before. Traditional farming methods work when a man has access to land, then he only requires tools to become successful. Hydroponics is the production of ground crops using an irrigation system to provide the necessary nutrient for the food; typically foods are still grown in the ground which then has to be fertilized over time. Hydro systems usually require a lot of ground or greenhouses to produce good crops.
Our "pilot project" uses the concept of Hydroponics only without the use of soil as a growth medium. Aquaponics is a relatively new concept but not entirely unproven in the world. Essentially an Aqua Project requires a nutrient rich water source, in our case a fish pond, and a grow table through which the nutrient rich water can flow. It is a well know fact that fish waste in fresh water is a very good source of nutrient for ground crops. One of the best tropical fish for the project is Tilapia; a freshwater/warm-water fish. The Tilapia can thrive in a small tank system because they are considered a bottom feeder species. In other words, they eat the moss and algae that grows on the rocks in a pond. They also grow extremely fast and produce a large amount of waste each day. The waste forms the nutrient stock within the water system. In turn, the water from the pond can be moved into a growth table where you have your plants. Plants are suspended above the table with only their roots reaching into the water. In this way the plants draw the necessary nutrients for growth directly from the water; because the water is heavy with fish waste the plants can grow up to twice a fast and produce fruits or vegetables much larger than normal. The grow table can be easily expanded to contain a variety of crops and virtually any kind of vegetable an fruit can be grown only in water!
Our project starts of course with a water source containing fish, in our case a large fish pond dug into the ground behind the Guest House. Once the pond is filled and stocked with tilapia fry, the grow tables can be constructed using cheap PVC tubing. The tubes are cut in half to become open channels through which the water will flow; all that is required is a small pump to move the water from the pond to the grow tables.
Once the pond is dug out it will be lined with concrete and rocks so we can maintain its shape. A waterfall will be constructed at the far end. The waterfall puts oxygen into the water for the fish. Ducks and geese must be introduced into the system to provided extra nutrient for the fish.
This side view shows the side of the pond ready for grass. A small bridge will be constructed over the pond so people have access to the garden area.
This area will be used for the greenhouse which will have the grow table inside. An open-air greenhouse is all that is required; plants grow best with direct/indirect sunlight.
Once we are ready our first crop will be tomatoes and zucchini, two favorite foods here. Later we will develop a smaller system that is affordable and can be easily funded. We have several locations where we can test these systems for the local people. These systems not only provide fresh foods, they are a sustainable system for revenue for a small village. Each system can be expanded to produce vegetables, fruit and fish for sale to the public. The entire system will require very little funding to become operational and the benefits are far reaching for the communities we can help.
More information will be forthcoming on this project; first we have to develop a working system here at Rio Vista and then we can "tweak" the bugs out of it to end up with a working prototype for the Mission Field. Your prayers are welcome as we walk through this project in its infancy.
Drop us a line if you have any questions or feedback!
Blessings
Mike and Laura
Our goals here in the D.R. are simple; to be of service in God's Kingdom in what ever capacity we find our talents lie. In some cases we apparently have little or no talent for some things, but we push forward with a willing heart and an open mind. Invariably God always brings someone else along to assist us if we find ourselves in over our heads.
So we have decided to place effort into our available time and move forward with a new project we are excited about! This project will not take us away from our work at the Guest House in fact it will surely enhance the environment and experience for all the Mission teams who use the facility.
Some time ago Laura and I were approached by fellow missionaries from our new church here in Sosua, asking us if we could be involved in a "pilot project" with them. They needed a piece of land to develop an idea (which we have) and they in turn would assist in support for the project with design and materials. Suffice to say that when we discovered they wished to start a pilot project which could produce fruit and vegetables in a sustenance program for remote villages near us, we were very interested.
Now this is still a hotly debated subject within the Mission World, however research has proven beyond a doubt that if you provide the means for a man to help feed his family instead of simply giving him a handout for the rest of his life, he will most likely become more self-sufficient and live better. The handout of food simply creates a dependent society, that will ultimately sink them further into poverty. Of course, there must be several conditions for this "pilot project" to be successful going forward, especially in a village where resources are hard to come by.
First let me explain the concept for the "pilot project". The concept here is to provide a system from which a man can operate with minimal supervision that will grow his vegetables and fruits faster and bigger than he could before; if he could before. Traditional farming methods work when a man has access to land, then he only requires tools to become successful. Hydroponics is the production of ground crops using an irrigation system to provide the necessary nutrient for the food; typically foods are still grown in the ground which then has to be fertilized over time. Hydro systems usually require a lot of ground or greenhouses to produce good crops.
Our "pilot project" uses the concept of Hydroponics only without the use of soil as a growth medium. Aquaponics is a relatively new concept but not entirely unproven in the world. Essentially an Aqua Project requires a nutrient rich water source, in our case a fish pond, and a grow table through which the nutrient rich water can flow. It is a well know fact that fish waste in fresh water is a very good source of nutrient for ground crops. One of the best tropical fish for the project is Tilapia; a freshwater/warm-water fish. The Tilapia can thrive in a small tank system because they are considered a bottom feeder species. In other words, they eat the moss and algae that grows on the rocks in a pond. They also grow extremely fast and produce a large amount of waste each day. The waste forms the nutrient stock within the water system. In turn, the water from the pond can be moved into a growth table where you have your plants. Plants are suspended above the table with only their roots reaching into the water. In this way the plants draw the necessary nutrients for growth directly from the water; because the water is heavy with fish waste the plants can grow up to twice a fast and produce fruits or vegetables much larger than normal. The grow table can be easily expanded to contain a variety of crops and virtually any kind of vegetable an fruit can be grown only in water!
Our project starts of course with a water source containing fish, in our case a large fish pond dug into the ground behind the Guest House. Once the pond is filled and stocked with tilapia fry, the grow tables can be constructed using cheap PVC tubing. The tubes are cut in half to become open channels through which the water will flow; all that is required is a small pump to move the water from the pond to the grow tables.
Once we are ready our first crop will be tomatoes and zucchini, two favorite foods here. Later we will develop a smaller system that is affordable and can be easily funded. We have several locations where we can test these systems for the local people. These systems not only provide fresh foods, they are a sustainable system for revenue for a small village. Each system can be expanded to produce vegetables, fruit and fish for sale to the public. The entire system will require very little funding to become operational and the benefits are far reaching for the communities we can help.
More information will be forthcoming on this project; first we have to develop a working system here at Rio Vista and then we can "tweak" the bugs out of it to end up with a working prototype for the Mission Field. Your prayers are welcome as we walk through this project in its infancy.
Drop us a line if you have any questions or feedback!
Blessings
Mike and Laura
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)